Consequences
by AnneHutchenson
Summary: Ziva must face the consequences of a very bad decision and Tony must come to terms with his new role as Team Leader. Set between Hiatus and Shalom. Warning: Story contains spanking
1. Difficult Decisions

The sun poured in from the large window behind Jenny Shepherd's desk casting the room into a golden glow. She crossed her arms and sat on the edge of her sleek wooden conference table, studying the young agent before her. She understood what few others did not, that Tony DiNozzo had spent nearly his entire life hiding his own insecurity and self doubt behind a mask of cockiness and jovial antics. He had fought to keep the demons that whispered into his ear at bay. Despite himself he had found a home here at NCIS and with it a purpose, a place and a family.

She smiled warmly as memories long passed flowed through her mind. Tony reminded her so much of all she admired and missed about his mentor, and hers, Jethro Gibbs. Tony had an inner strength that when tested only grew stronger and an intuition and loyalty that were without question. All of those abilities and experience had been tested in the months since Gibb had retired to a life of leisure on a Mexican beach, leaving him to command the team. Still, he had risen to the challenge in a way that surprised even her. He had proven himself to be not simply an excellent field agent, but a leader and commander as well.

Today though, was not one for which he was prepared. Today his loyalty to his friend had come crashing headlong into his duties as team leader. Ziva had defied his direct order on an undercover assignment targeting a terrorist sleeper cell operating in the nation's capital. When a bomb was discovered inside a hideout, she risked her life and her cover to defuse it and salvage the evidence remaining inside. In doing so she also risked the lives and covers of two FBI agents who had operated deep inside the group for nearly a year. Had she been discovered, there would not have been enough time to extract those two agents before they would surely have been killed.

Tony leaned forward, his elbows planted solidly on his muscled thighs. His face was heavy with the decision he knew he had to make.

"You are the team leader, Tony."

"I know that Director," he said firmly. "But at the same time, Ziva is my friend."

"And you don't want to see your friend hurt, or be the one to do it," Jenny said sympathetically.

His silence was all the answer she needed.

"So how would you feel at seeing her dead? Or sent back to Israel because she cannot follow NCIS policy?" Her words were firm but soft and filled with regret. "If it goes on record Tony, what she did today will cost Ziva her career at NCIS. I won't even be able to prevent that," Jenny said what Tony already knew and the weight of that was heavy for them both.

Tony took a deep breath and studied his folded hands. He didn't look up as he felt her sit slowly beside him on the couch.

"How can I make this decision Jenny? Ziva is my friend and my partner. There is nothing that I wouldn't do to protect her," Tony asked in a whisper. "I want Gibbs back."

"Gibb's quit Tony. You did not," Jenny leaned forward studying him for a long moment. "You can protect her and show her that she crossed the line at the same time."

"How?"

She took a deep breath and leaned back against the couch, gathering her thoughts. "Many years ago, Gibbs was assigned a young agent that he _also _cared about as more than _just _a partner," Jenny chose her words carefully and searched Tony's eyes to ensure he understood their meaning. "She made a mistake that nearly cost an important mission and could have ended her career."

"What did he do?"

"He covered for her and then chose a more unorthodox method for addressing the issue," Jenny answered lowering her eyes.

Tony took a deep breath. He knew about Gibb's "unorthodox methods" all too well. Despite that knowledge he, he had never dreamt of utilizing them himself, especially not with Ziva.

Jenny could feel Tony's knowing eyes studying her and tried her best to keep from blushing. Despite their differences, there was no denying that Tony had Gibb's innate ability to know and understand more truth about people than they themselves often understood.

"Did it hurt?" He finally asked smiling slightly at the flush of embarrassment spreading across her face.

"It hurt like hell," she acknowledged with a self-conscious laugh.

"Did you hate him for it afterwards?" Tony asked a question that revealed a deep set fear.

She pondered the question a moment before answering, "No actually. I felt closer to him afterwards. I knew that he would protect me, even against myself. I certainly didn't make the same mistake again."

He took a deep breath and allowed it to flow through his body. He knew what he had to do, both as the team leader and as Ziva's friend. There was nothing that he would not do to protect her, even from herself. Still, Ziva David was not a young Jenny Shepherd. He knew that it would not be the pain that came from this punishment that would get through to her. It would be the vulnerability and intimacy that would reach behind her well constructed armor. He just prayed that he had the strength to be the leader, the partner, the friend and the man that she needed him to be.


	2. Over His Knee

Ziva had spent the last hour pacing the length of the conference room. Her mind reviewed every detail of the operation, analyzing every action that she had taken. So absorbed with her own thoughts, she physically jumped at the sound of the wooden door slamming shut. She instantly recognized Tony's commanding presence and unreadable expression. It was a side of him that she had seen developing only after Gibb's had retired to Mexico. Normally she found it simultaneously annoying and remarkably sexy. Right now she simply found it unnerving.

"Look Tony I know…" Ziva began, her words rushing from her mouth in a single breath.

"I did not give you permission to speak Officer David," Tony barked in a tone that sounded eerily like an angry Gibbs. He struggled to keep his resolve as he saw her momentarily flinch at his words.

Her arms fell to her sides, her spine straightened and she kept her eyes affixed to his, refusing to look away.

"You have two choices Officer David. Take official responsibility for your actions today. Have the liaison position with NCIS severed and return to Israel."

"Or?" she swallowed hard, almost afraid of what her other option might be.

"Deal with this off the record and no one except you, Jenny and I ever know about it," he answered flatly.

"And what would that involve?"

"Make your choice, Officer David." His voice was stern and left no room for argument.

Her heart raced as her eyes fell to the floor. Since Gibbs retired she had seen a side to Tony that she never realized existed. As annoying as this side may be, she also had found a deeper level of respect, and attraction, to the man he was becoming. Still she was uncertain what to expect from him.

"Off the record," she whispered her eyes falling to the floor.

He pulled a chair from the nearby conference table, positioning it in the center of the room.

"Front and center," his voice was low and serious.

Her stomach churned at she realized of what he intended. "You cannot be serious."

"You defied my direct order. You risked your own life. You risked the lives of two FBI agents. You almost ended an operation that multiple federal agencies have spent nearly a year working on," his voice was loud and commanding and betrayed no hint of the emotion behind his words. "I do not know what it will take for you to finally understand that you are a part of us Ziva. We love you. We care about you. When you do something as stupid as today, it no longer just affects you. It affects all of us who love you, all of us who would mourn your death or your absence."

"Gibbs would not send me home," she replied defiantly.

"No, Gibbs would not send you home. But Gibbs would prevent you from sitting for the next month. Which is a hell of lot more than what I am intending to do, unless you decide to continue to standing here arguing with me," his voice was deep, guttural and bellowing as he cross the few feet that separated them.

He watched as she struggled to stand her ground as he came to a determined stop mere inches from her body. He could hear the sound of her breathing and feel the heat of her small frame.

"I thought when I took over as Team Leader, that the one person on earth I would be able to trust and rely on was my partner," Tony's voice became soft, gentle and laden with regret. "You didn't just risk this operation. You didn't just risk your life and the lives of those FBI agents. You betrayed our partnership and our friendship."

His words stung more than any punishment ever could and she struggled to keep her tears from showing. Her words were barely above a whisper, fearing her voice would not hold. "How could you say that?"

"How could you put your friends and your partner into the position of having to lie for you or be the person who sends you home?" Tony could see her hardened shell cracking as tears came to her eyes. He allowed the emotion in his own voice to show through.

Standing there looking down as her, Tony no longer saw the harden Mossad assassin he had always known. He saw a scolded little girl with her head bowed, trying desperately to keep from crying at the realization of her own actions. His resolve faltered and he resisted the urge to take her protectively into his arms.

"I will not force you do anything, Ziva," he said softly. "This is your choice."

She took a deep breath and walked past him to the straight back chair. Saying nothing, she turned towards him, refusing to look up, for fear that her eyes would betray too much.

Since leaving Jenny's office Tony's mind had already run through every possible way to carry out this discipline. Gibbs would use a belt, of that he was certain. Ziva was accustomed to enduring physical pain, her training with Mossad had surly prepared her for torture. He knew that it would not be the pain of a spanking that would get through to Ziva, it would be the psychological impact of the punishment.

"Drop your pants," he said in a voice that was both soft and firm.

"Tony…" she began in a tone that sounded similar to a high pitched plea.

"Now Ziva," he said in a low command that left so room for debate.

His eyes caught sight her trembling hands as she fumbled with the button of her dark jeans. They had both faced death together many times. He had seen her in the midst of a firefight, defusing a bomb designed to destroy an entire building, and staring down murder suspects. Though he had never seen her tremble, never seen her nervous or afraid. Knowing that he was responsible for that fear, his strength nearly faltered. He knew that he had come too far to retreat now. She needed him to be strong, to be not just her commanding officer, to be her friend and her partner.

Tony took her wrist and gently guided her over his lap as he sat. His strong muscled thighs were spread apart, balancing the weight of her hips and upper body, preventing her feet from reaching the floor. Her stomach churned at the vulnerability of the position. She felt so much like a helpless child.

His strong arms snaked around her narrow waist and his right hand came down in a series of loud smacks on the curve of her bottom.

"Tell me why you are being spanked," Tony instructed as his hand continued to methodically work its way across her lightly clad bottom.

"Because I ignored your order," she said as a hoarse whisper. "I endangered the mission and the lives of those agents."

She struggled to keep her breath even and hold back the tears that formed in her eyes. She never expected a punishment from Tony to be this difficult to endure. His hand came down in sharp, quick smacks that stung like fire and only served to heighten the emotions that ran through her mind as a freight train. Her training had taught her to endure much more than a simple spanking. Still, lying helplessly across his lap, her pants crumples at her ankles embarrassment, vulnerability, guilt and shame fought for dominance and stifled her breath.

The tanned skin peeking out from under her cotton panties was steadily turning from pink to crimson from his unrelenting rhythm. He spanked from the center of her bottom to the backs of her upper thighs, determined that she would feel this punishment long after it had ended, determined that she would feel it every time she sat down. Still, Tony was surprised at her reaction to this punishment. He had expected her to endure it with determined stoicism. Instead, as he passed over the same burning areas for the third time she began to twist and squirm over his lap like a child trying to escape a punishment. Her legs began to kick; until he delivered a series of heavy swats to her unprotected thighs, sending his message loud and clear.

"And what about risking your life," he said sternly as he began spanking the unprotected areas of her upper thighs again causing her to jump reflexively.

"My life is mine to risk," she cursed herself at the trembling in her own voice, knowing that Tony surely heard it as well.

His hand came to a rest on the seat of panties as he surveyed the young woman lying across his lap. He was more certain now than he had ever been of the truth that saw in her long ago. That the hardened warrior she worked so hard to show the world, hid a frightened, troubled little girl who had never moved past the pain and trauma of her childhood or life with Eli David. She had endured so much in her young life that he longed to shield her from anymore pain, to show her that she was loved, to show her that she had no need to hide anymore. He took a deep breath and prayed that he could find the words to reach her. He prayed that he could be the man that she needed him to be.

"That is where you are wrong young lady," his spoke in the low, firm voice of a father lecturing an petulant child. "You are not in Israel anymore. You are surrounded by people who love and who care about you. There is nothing on the earth that I would not do to protect you. I would give my life to keep you safe. I would end my career to protect you from harm. Are you really so selfish that it means nothing to you? Do you really care so little for any of us, for me, that you would risk causing us the agony of loosing you for a whim? Do you really care so little for us, that our love for you means nothing? Because that is exactly what your behavior today said loud and clear."

Single tears spilled from her eyes sting of his words. Before she could react she felt Tony's strong hand slide under her panties lowering them to meet her jeans, already tangled around her ankles.

His hand concentrated on the curved of her bottom in a fury of sharp swats. Her breath came in jagged gasped and he anticipated her struggling under his grasp. Instead he felt her muscles relax and her body go limp across his thighs. His own breath caught has he heard a muffled sob escape her lips and felt it flow through her body.

He gently turned her over and was stunned as her arms shot out to encircle his neck, her fingers twisting into the fabric of his shirt and her face burying into the crook of his neck. His strong arms protectively encircled her, bringing her ever closer to him.

"I am sorry," she said between the ragged sobs.

"I know you are Ziva," he whispered as his is large hand brushed her tangled curls. He gently rocked her back and forth as a father would comfort a troubled child and waited patiently for her tears to subside. "It's all over. It's all forgiven. I've got you, just let it out."

Slowly her sobs turned to silent tears and her fingers began to release their hold on his shirt.

"Ziva, you are my best friend and my partner. There is nothing that I wouldn't do to protect you," he gently lifted her chin until he could see her redden, watery eyes. "I know it has been difficult since Gibbs left. I know it's awkward with me as in this role. I feel it to. But I can't do this without your help, Ziva. I need to know that you are the one person on this earth that I can trust without question. I need to know that you have my back. I need you to keep me straight. I need to know that you will be there to call me on the screw ups that I am bound to make. I need my friend. I need my partner. I need you."

Fresh tears fell from her eyes and she bowed her head. His fingers slipping into the curls of her hair and his lips gently kissed her forehead.

"I trust you with me life, Ziva. I trust you with everything that I have. I thank God everyday for the honor to have you in my life," he made no effort to conceal the tears in his own voice. "My world would shatter if I lost you. Please don't leave me."

Her small fingers gently wiped away the single tears that traced down his cheek and she laid her head back against his shoulder. He rested his cheek on the top of her brown hair and tightened his arms around her. Closing his eyes he breathed in the smell of her perfume and tried to memorize the feel of her in his arms. For this moment he no longer cared about the hiding his own emotions from the light of day. He needed to comfort her. He needed feel her slender arms around him. He needed to feel the comfort of the one person he trusted to see past him own armor.


	3. Comfort

When he felt her trembling subside, Tony gently helped Ziva to stand as she pulled her pants back into place. With his arm around her waist he guided her into the small bathroom attached to the conference room.

He leaned her carefully against the porcelain sink, his arm still protectively around her waist. Soaking a washcloth with cool water he studied her carefully. She seemed so small and fragile. Her head remained bowed, unable to look at him. He gently washed her face with the cool cloth, soothing the heat of her tears. Still she refused to look up, he could see her face was now flushed with embarrassment rather than tears.

"Hey," Tony said gently placing his hands on either side of her face, bringing her eyes to meet his own. "Ziva, you are my best friend. You have seen me on my best and worst days. You have seen me make some remarkably stupid decisions. And while you may have called me on them, you have never judged me for them. Please don't be embarrassed, with me of all people. My love for you, my trust in you, my faith in you are all unconditional. That will never change."

"I should not have cried. I was trained not to be so weak," she said in disgust.

"So what?" his smile reached his eyes in traditional DiNozzo style. "I cried too and I wasn't the one being spanked."

Despite his attempt, she found no humor in his words. Pushing herself away from him, she turned to leave. His strong hands gripped her shoulders, turning her back to face him.

"Do you honestly think that I can't see through the mask you show the world?"

"Tony please…" she pleaded. Her muscles ached from the mission earlier and from struggling over his lap. Her bottom burned with a heat that made even the touch of her jeans sting. What energy she had remaining had drained out of her with her tears and she longs to simply be alone.

"I've been a cop for awhile and I've learned a few things. For instance, the harder someone tries to act a certain way, the further in the opposite direction they really are. You try so hard to make sure that the world sees only the side of you that is a tough, hardened assassin who has no weakness. I think that the woman you project is protecting a sad, frightened little girl who has never been allowed to grieve for everything that has been ripped from her life. A little girl who desperately wants her father to be proud of her and fears she can never do enough to earn his pride or his love."

Ziva closed her eyes against the burning tears that welled in her eyes. She could feel his breath on her skin as his face came closer to hers.

"Tony please do not do this," she said in a hoarse and trembling whisper.

"You think that after all this time you can simple turn away from me and hide? Despite your best effort, I still see you Ziva David. I see a beautiful, brilliant, strong, intuitive young woman who has spent her entire life believing that she is the one who is broken. When the truth is that you were the only one who was not," Tony's hand gently caressed her cheek and brushed away the tears with his thumb. "I don't care what they taught you, Ziva. I don't even care what you believe. Standing here, alone with me, you are allowed to cry without lessening my respect for you. You are allowed to be scared and not be ridiculed. You can tell me your fears and know that I won't think less of you. You can need to be comforted and know that the only thing you will find are my arms around you. You have nothing to prove Ziva; to me, to your father, to anyone, even yourself."

His finger slid into the curls of her hair and his forehead pressed against hers as she listened to the tears in his voice. "You went into that building today because you had something to prove. You almost died today because you had something to prove. I understand the voice inside your head that tells says you aren't good enough. But I am asking you, I am begging you not to listen. I am begging you not to allow that voice to take you away from the people who love you and will die to protect you."

"I am sorry," she said in a trembling voice that sounded more like a little girl than the woman standing before him.

"I know you are Ziva," he's tone was both firm and understanding. "This was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. But I meant what I said. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, even if it means having to fight you to do it. If this is what it takes to get through to you, I will not hesitate to put you back over my knee."

"You will not have to," her face blushed with renewed embarrassment.

His arms wrapped protectively around her small frame drawing her closer to him. He was grateful to feel her hands snake around his back and her head lay against his solid chest. Resting his check against the top of her brown curls, he made no effort to restrain his own tears from falling.

When he felt her trembling stop he allowed her to pull away, regaining a semblance of her composure.

"You know, I'm not the only one that you need to talk to Ziva," Tony said looking down at her with the expression of a father coaxing a reluctant child.

"I know," Ziva said barely above a whisper. "Does she know?"

"Jenny knows that your choices were a serious spanking or a trip back to Israel. She doesn't know that the spanking was over my knee or that it was on your bare bottom," his eyes never left her face, though she refused to look him in the eye. "I am going to tell her that the issue is resolved. What, if anything, beyond that you choose to tell her is up to you."

"Thank you," she took a deep, cleansing breath and raised her eyes to meet his. Her small hand rested against his cheek. "Thank you for being my friend and my partner. I know that you struggle with the same demons. But I have watched you grow from an annoying juvenile into one of the most remarkable men that I have ever had the honor to know."

Her voice broke at the sight of his tears. "I am more proud of you that you will ever know. I need you as well, Tony. Thank you being my friend, my partner and my home. "


End file.
